A process of manufacturing semiconductor substrates (hereinafter, simply referred to as “substrates”) conventionally involves various types of processing that is performed on substrates by various types of substrate processing apparatuses. For example, processing such as etching is performed on a surface of a substrate having a resist pattern on the surface by supplying a chemical solution to the substrate. After the etching process ends, processing such as removing the resist on the substrate or cleaning the substrate is also performed.
In a chemical liquid coating apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-110714 (Document 1), for example, a tubular shield member is disposed below the outer edge portion of a wafer. When a resist liquid is applied to the upper surface of the wafer, the shield member moves upward so that the upper end of the shield member comes close to the lower surface of the wafer. The distance between the upper end of the shield member and the lower surface of the wafer is several millimeters. This configuration suppresses the spread of droplets of the resist to the lower surface of the wafer.
In a substrate processing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-10555 (Document 2), a cup body that receives a processing liquid dispersed from a substrate is provided around a rotary table that holds the substrate. Also, a movable parting body that is movable in the up-down direction is provided between the rotary table and the cup body. In a state in which the movable parting body is moved upward and located around the rotary table, the processing liquid dispersed from the substrate is received by the movable parting body.
Depending on the type of processing, substrate processing apparatuses are sometimes required to perform processing in a sealed space. A substrate processing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-216607 (Document 3) includes a sealed chamber constituted by a chamber body and a lid member. The chamber body and the lid member are not in contact with each other, and a liquid sealing structure is provided between the chamber body and the lid member. The lid member is rotatable relative to the chamber body, and the rotation of the lid member stabilizes airflow above the substrate while reducing the capacity of the sealed space.
In the case where processing using a processing liquid is performed on a substrate in a low oxygen atmosphere, it is conceivable to house the substrate in a sealed space formed in a substrate processing apparatus and supply the processing liquid to the substrate in, for example, an inert gas atmosphere that is created in the sealed space. In this case, the processing liquid dispersed from the substrate that is being rotated is received by a cup part provided on the inner side of a sealed-space forming member that forms the sealed space. The processing liquid that is not received by the cup part adheres to the outer side wall part of the sealed-space forming member located around the cup part. The processing liquid adhering to the outer side wall part may generate particles as a result of drying, or may leak out to the outside of the sealed space from the lower end of the outer side wall part.
In the apparatus of Document 3, the boundary between the lid member and the chamber body is visible from the substrate side. Thus, the processing liquid may enter this boundary, and the solidified processing liquid may become a source of particles. If the chamber height is to be reduced to a minimum, the position of the boundary between the lid member and the chamber body becomes lower and is thereby more exposed to the processing liquid. In addition, the apparatus of Document 3 is not suitable for recovery of spent processing liquids because all processing liquids similarly flow down in the chamber.